Eligibility

If you are one of the many thousands of qualified community workers or community services students, you can join ACWA. By joining you will become a valued member of a well-respected community of professionals, each of whom has committed to ethical practice and life-long development.

Your connection with us can bring many benefits both in terms of professional growth and career progression. We look forward to welcoming you.

Student membership form - for those studying a relevant course with more than one month until completion. Provide your student email or number as evidence of enrolment.

Essentials

Categories of registration with ACWA cover different practicing levels and stages of a community worker’s career. The type you will be eligible for depends on factors such as your qualification and work history.

Provisional and full members must also maintain their professional currency by undertaking 20 hours of CPD each year.

Eligibility

You must either be studying a community-services related course or already hold a relevant qualification.

A relevant qualification is one which adequately prepares graduates to perform community work in Australia. It should specialise in community or human services, or a specific service field. Fields of practice include youth work, mental health, applied social science, community development, alcohol and other drugs, disability and counselling.

Some students use their prior work experience to gain recognition of prior learning (RPL) towards their qualification. In these instances, ACWA will only accept up to 40% RPL otherwise the qualification will not be recognised.

Registration categories

If you meet the above criteria you can register with ACWA. The table below summarizes the categories.

As you can see, students can join us as members but will not appear on the public register until they are qualified.

Qualified workers can apply for membership and are awarded either provisional or full membership based on their application.

We have devised these categories to ensure tailored support to community workers as they progress in their careers and to minimise confusion and risk for potential clients, employers and the public.